Congrats @Yorkshireccc pic.twitter.com/m1Et0AZIJY
— Middlesex Cricket (@Middlesex_CCC) September 12, 2015
The players are shaking hands. Hampshire have drawn their #LVCC match against Somerset at Taunton! pic.twitter.com/ugElR9QSWo
— Hampshire Cricket (@hantscricket) September 12, 2015
The game looked all over at tea, when Hampshire were 370 for three. We could all see the captains shaking hands at 4.30 at that stage. That could still be the case. But Somerset have given themselves a glimmer with the wicket of Will Smith. He tried to slog Tom Cooper into Taunton town centre but only made it to mid-on. There were six four and a six in his 50. It’s 392 for four, so Hampshire lead by two runs.
Middlesex (106 and 573 for eight) beat Yorkshire (299 and 134) by 247 runs.
It’s all over, as Tim Murtagh bowls Steve Patterson. Andrew Gale will now finally get to lift the Championship trophy. It will be presented by ECB deputy chairman Ian Lovett. Full report to follow.
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Yorkshire (117 for nine) need another 262 runs with 1 wicket in hand
The end, as they say, is nigh, and what a cricketer Toby Roland-Jones is. He’s got a five-fer as Brooks nicks to fourth slip where Stevie Eskinazi takes a really fine catch. This is a staggering turnaround, from 0-3, 106 all out, 189 behind on first innings. Unbelievable, really. Utterly mad.
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Yorkshire (115 for eight) need another 264 runs with 2 wickets in hand
This is a procession now, as Middlebrook nicks to second too. Brilliant stuff from Toby Roland-Jones. Yorkshire have lost 4-4, 5-9 and 6-23. Which is madness, really.
Yorkshire (115 for seven) need another 264 runs with 3 wickets in hand
BressieLad is gone too! They’re actually going to lose! They haven’t lost in 17 months and they bowled the oppo out for 106 on Day One! And they’re going to lose! Awful shot from Bresnan, feathering behind going for a massive yahoo of a drive off Harris.
Yorkshire (111 for six) need another 270 runs with 4 wickets in hand
Middlesex are going to win this and it’s all because of Toby Roland-Jones! Leaning played a pretty horrible knock, all swings and misses outside off, but TRJ gets it a tad straighter and he nicks to first, where Robson – who has great hands – takes a sharp catch. And then next ball he’s found a brute and got Hodd too, as he gloves through to the keeper. What an over – he’s bowled 17 now and really worked hard. Yorkshire’s unbeaten record is teetering in the balance.
They’ve gone back to talking about the cricket here again. That’s because Hampshire have lost a third wicket, and an important one, Adams no less.
It was a tame end to a fine innings. He pushed forward to one from Peter Trego which left him a fraction and edged to the keeper, to make it 314 for three in the 114th. Hopefully that innings will have done a lot of good to Adams, who has had a miserable season. His 136 came off 313 deliveries and included 19 fours.
The bad news for Somerset, who still need seven wickets, is that three fast bowlers are currently off the field – the Overton twins and Lewis Gregory. There were no apparent injuries. It could be Jack Leach’s big opportunity.
Yorkshire (106 for four) need another 275 runs with 6 wickets in hand
Lees is out now too, and this feels on for Middlesex. Roland-Jones forces Lees to edge to second slip, where Malan takes a low catch to his right. Well bowled. There’s only one winner from here, but I still fancy a 5pm handshake. Bresnan has joined Jack Leaning at the crease.
Yorkshire (92 for three) need another 289 runs with 7 wickets in hand
Lees moves to 50 with an elegant cover drive, he’s played nicely after a slightly uncomfortable start. But now Gale is out! He’s been rapped on the back pad by Dexter from around the wicket and the finger goes up. He looks disappointed, but it looked good to me height and line-wise. Don’t think he hit it. By the way, general consensus (from all parties) seems to be that Compton’s dismissal (LBW Middlebrook) yesterday struck him outside the line, was turning too much and going over. Oh, and he hit it too.
We lost 45 minutes and 12 overs here because of the rain, which will hurt Somerset more than Hampshire, who have been very much second best and are hoping to get away with a draw. At lunch they are 309 for two, with Adams on 135 and will Smith on 11.
Somerset supporters are beginning to sound a bit glum, and instead of the cricket have turned to talking about Jeremy Corbyn’s astonishing victory in the battle for the Labour leadership.
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That’s lunch. Yorkshire (78 for two) need another 303 runs with 8 wickets in hand.
Lees and Gale have batted very calmly for the last hour and put on 50. All of Middlesex’s bowlers have had a go but there haven’t been any desperately convincing shouts. Lees has scored quickly – he played a lovely lofted drive to Paul Stirling – but it’s Gale who particularly looks to have the bit between his teeth. He was furious with himself when he got out for 98 on Wednesday and there really wouldn’t be a better way to cap their Championship win than a centu… oh, I won’t. Don’t want to jinx him.
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Yorkshire (28 for two) need another 352 runs with 8 wickets in hand.
James Harris has gone and got himself two wickets in his first over. First, he angled one across Adam Lyth and he edged behind, prodding half-forward. Then Gary Ballance was adjudged out the same way, playing defensively to one he didn’t really need to, but I don’t think he hit it, to be honest. Certainly a very slow trudge off, and not just because he’d got a pair.
Good declaration this, for mine. Bit in it for both. Yorkshire have made a solid enough start, and have been dealing mainly in square cuts, although Lees has just driven Murtagh for a pair of pairs down the ground. Roland-Jones has Lyth in some discomfort, it has to be said. He hit him twice in the box in one over and is probing around his off-stump now. At the other end, Lees is standing out of his ground to Murtagh, and Simpson – standing back – just tried to stump him, but missed. Franklin hasn’t gone for particularly attacking fields, which is a bit odd.
Funny moment during Roland-Jones’s first over, when I looked down to fine leg, where Murtagh was stood talking to the S&C coach, topless. The coach was holding Murtagh’s shirt and I was confused, until I saw a 12th man sprinting round with a replacement. Quite what the original shirt had done wrong, I do not know.
We’ve had a wicket here at Taunton. In the sixth over of the morning Vince attempted to cut Craig Overton but steered it straight to Tom Abell in the gully.
The bad news is that – contrary to all the forecasts – we have rain. The players ran off after exactly half an hour’s play, at 272 for two. It may only be a shower but I’m not going to play Michael Fish any more.
Welcome to the County Ground, Taunton, for the last day of this vital, anti-relegation tussle between Somerset and Hampshire.
The sunshine is brilliant and the bells are ringing out from the Church of St James. There has been a great deal of rain in the area overnight but it appears to have moved on and the weather shouldn’t be an issue today.
Hampshire have just resumed on 258 for one, needing another 132 runs to make Somerset bat again. Jimmy Adams was on 117 and James Vince had 69.
Somerset took the new ball straight away. They know the Hampshire batting is top heavy and if they break through this pair there may be easier wickets to come. In the fourth over of the morning Craig Overton found the edge of Vince’s bat but it bounced just short of Peter Trego at third slip, striking him a painful blow on the forearm. We’ve had five quiet overs and Hampshire have added nine runs.
Happy weekend and welcome, for the final time this Championship season, to Lord’s. Today, in victory, defeat or drawdom, Andrew Gale will lift Yorkshire’s second consecutive – and 32nd overall – County Championship title. A year ago to the day, Yorkshire beat Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge to win their 31st and Gale was an angry, bitter onlooker. Today, he’ll be the the centrepiece.
But his magnificent team have work to do yet. They’ve an unbeaten record to protect (extending back to their last visit to this ground in April 2014) and a stated ambition of 300 points – and a smashed record (257) – to follow up on. Friday was their most taxing day of the season, as they toiled all day for three wickets, at the cost of 300 runs. Numbers eight, nine and 10 made 47, 67* and 103*, respectively. Earlier, Nick Compton ground them into the dust. Today, when Yorkshire just bat – ostensibly to save the game one would think – the cloudless conditions of days two and three are gone, and have been replaced by the overcast skies of day one, when 19 wickets fell and the ball hooped (although the pitch has flattened). It’s a bit windy and we even had a very brief dump of rain a moment ago. Since, the sun has made an appearance. Britain, eh? And Middlesex have declared, so Yorkshire require 381 …
Paul Weaver is at Taunton, where Jimmy Adams – what a lovely bloke – made a long-awaited century as Hampshire made a great start in their attempt to save a rather lost looking cause in they huge foot of the table match with Somerset. James Vince is well placed too, which is always an utter delight.
On Friday, Nottinghamshire completed a fine victory over Durham, which has relevance in the race for second, while in Division Two Essex polished off Derbyshire. Kent require eight more Glamorgan wickets in Cardiff.
Enjoy the cricket, folks. There won’t be as many of these days next year …
